A 17-year-old school boy said an embarrassing moment in the classroom was the last straw that prompted him to lose an astonishing 7st (44kg) in less than a year.

Eoghan Gaffney Glynn (17) from Tallaght said he was "missing out" on life when he weighed almost 17st (107kg) before making a decision to change his lifestyle in November 2015.

Speaking to Independent.ie, Eoghan said: "I've been big for as long as I can remember. When I was 13 or 14 I really started to notice. I remember one day in school my trousers, which had a 46in waist, they burst in the classroom. It was so embarrassing and I just knew I had enough.

"My mam had joined Slimming World a few months before me and I could see that she was eating more than she ever did before she was just making smarter choices. I was fed up of it. I didn't like to look at myself in the mirror," said Eoghan.

Eoghan Gaffney Glynn lost seven stone

The Ballinteer Community College student accompanied his mum Iris to a Slimming World meeting in the Plaza Hotel in Tallaght, which he said was nervewracking.

"I asked my mam if I could just come along and even though I was nervous to go in to the first meeting, everyone is really encouraging.

"My first week I lost 5lb. I couldn't believe it. The first week was the hardest because you're trying to get your head around the programme. The rest comes easier, once you realise it's a lifestyle change, not a diet."

The teenager shed an incredible 7st 12lb in eight months, and reached his target in July 2016. Eoghan recently reached the semi-finals of the lifestyle company's Young Slimmer of the Year and flew to Derbyshire to celebrate.

Eoghan Gaffney Glynn lost seven stone

"It was great to hear everyone's stories and although I didn't get through to the final, they really made everyone feel like a winner. I was the only one from Ireland which was cool."

The teenager said he has a new-found motivation for living since transforming his lifestyle. Eoghan is preparing for the Leaving Certificate next year, and aspires to be a history teacher.

"My confidence has definitely improved. Before in school, I would never walk in the middle of the corridor. I would always drift to the side, I just did not want to be seen or draw attention to myself. When you lose weight it's like you gain something back you never knew you didn't have.

"I used to spend my life in black and grey clothes but now I'm not so wary of colour.

"It made me think about the future in a way I didn't before. It made me focus. Now I put more effort into things like school because I care a lot more. I just didn't care before, I thought this is the way it would always be. I'm so much happier now."